Nanotechnology is a term that covers many areas of research dealing with objects that are measured in nanometers (1 nanometer = a billionth of a meter). It's been in the news for several years, promising to bring about revolutionary changes in fields as diverse as medicine, manufacturing, diagnostics, energy and consumer goods.

One of the important applications of nanotechnology in household products is self-cleaning or “easy-to-clean” surfaces on ceramics or glasses. The inspiration behind this application is derived from the Lotus flower, considered to be a a symbol of purity in Asian religions. This flower, though it emerges from muddy waters, has its leaves unblemished and untouched by pollution. The reason behind this unique phenomenon is that the leaves of the lotus flower are covered with tiny, fine-grained nanostructures with a unique effect - dirt and water simply roll off. This is due to the fact that there is much less direct surface area that these materials can attach themselves to. This nature's wonder of self-cleaning has been researched extensively and gives us a fascinating glimpse of what nature can do to protect itself from omnipresent dirt and pathogenic organisms.

The design of the NanoNuno umbrella is based on this natural principle. This means moisture cannot penetrate the fabric and so there is no tedious drying to do after a walk in the rain. Even in the case of a heavy downpour, all you need to do is just give the umbrella a good shake and it will be clean and dry pronto. Due to the absence of dirt and water, even in light-coloured fabric, the manufacturer claims that it will look immaculate even after years of use. Lastly, if you're wondering whether these look straight out of a science fiction movie, you can relax. These are classic, elegant full-length umbrellas with wooden handles and automatic mechanism built in. As normal as you can get.

Availble from Pro-Idee UK at £ 49.95. Via Coolest Gadgets.